1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to playtoys for children and more particularly to a system of panels with edging strips which can be easily and rapidly connected to each other by hand so as to produce complex building forms.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Various children's toys have been provided to develop and express a child's creative building desires. From simple wooden blocks to various rather complex connecting devices, the toy market has a substantial section devoted to the expression of children's ideas in a physical form. Various means of connecting individual pieces have surfaced including mere compression, nuts and bolts, screws, latches, etc. These building playtoys appeal to all ranges of children beginning at the toddler stage on up to adolescence.
Of the variety of toys in the building category, perhaps the closest to the present invention is the interlocking blocks that are well known in the toy market. These blocks are usually shaped like small bricks and have a face with small pegs protruding therefrom and on the reverse side have space matching the pegs so as to permit interconnecting the individual pieces of the toy. While these toys are enjoyed by many children, they have some disadvantages relative to the represent invention. First, they require a relative greater effort to connect and especially disconnect. Also, the individual pieces are sometimes small and could be swallowed by a child inadvertently. Further, there is normally only one "proper" way to assemble the individual pieces to each other and thus requires a higher degree of skill and manual dexterity compared to the present invention. For example, some toys have male parts which mate with different female parts. The present invention therefore provides an interlocking array of panels which can be arranged in various creative complex forms easily and rapidly by even toddlers in a safe manner. The panels are all attachable to each other and the user need not search for a particular mate to a given piece.